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As a child sponsor youâre bringing hope into the darkest situations. BeÂ uplifted by this short video showing the difference youâre making.

Recent research has found that Brazil is the worst place in South America to be a girl. With high rates of teenage pregnancy and child marriage, many young women in poverty are deprived of an education and leave school with few employment prospects.

One study found that 1 in 10 girls are married by the age of 15.

Many girls living in poverty in Brazil lack trusted sources of advice and guidance on issues such as womenâs health, relationships and education.

Empowering girls to thrive

Our new campaign is aiming to change this by empowering 10,000 girls in Brazil to make informed choices about their futures.

‘Handbook for Girls: Empowered to thrive’ will see every young woman aged 12â20 in Compassionâs Brazilian church-based projects given a handbook with vital information on topics including their health, self-esteem, education and employment.

The books are being developed by programme staff in partnership with child development experts, including psychologists and education professionals. Each book costs just ÂŁ2 to produce and distribute, and we’re aiming to raise enough to ensure all the girls in Compassionâs Brazilian projects can receive a copy.

Whatâs more, our church partners will receive additional training in how best to support girls in the topics covered in the handbook and boys will participate in workshops on the value of women.

Each girl has a different story

Virginia Silva (far left) directs a Compassion project in Brazil. She explains why protecting and empowering girls is so vital.

“Each girl has a different story, but they all find something common among them, whether itâs an abuse experience, or the mother who got pregnant very young, or parents who didnât have the opportunity of education.

âWe can already see the [results] of what we discuss in the new generations. Theyâre more conscious and willing to fight for something different. Now they realise that they can go further. This new Handbook created by Compassion would be a very significant milestone in all we have already done.â

Meet the girls who you’ll protect

17 year oldÂ JailmaâsÂ parents died when she was very young. She explains that growing up alone in a culture that sees women as inferior is very hard.Â

“I lost my parents very early and was raised by my brothers. I never received love in my home and I know that if I didnât have the Compassion project helping me, Iâd be very different from who I am today. Iâd probably already be a mother.âÂ

Â Through her Compassion project,Â JailmaÂ is being taught her value as a woman in God. She says:Â

Â “I know that Iâm loved by God. When my days are heavy I come to the project just to hug the women, because I know theyâll give me love. Most men I know always see us as objects, but I know that I have value.âÂ

Juliana, who is also 17, has attended her local Compassion-supported project for almost 10 years. She explains that without the project, sheâd be a completely different person:

“The home where I was born never gave me the basis for a decent future. So being in the [Compassion] project helped me to question the world around me. I want a different future for me.”

“I want to be a cop, but many people never think Iâll be able to because Iâm a woman. I want toâŠ show that we also have value, and we can also go far.”

GIRLS’ EMPOWERMENT: HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

We’re right with you in thinking it’s an injustice that poverty deprives girls of education and leaves them vulnerable to early child marriage. You can help stop this by donating to ‘Empowered to thrive’ today.

TEXT TO DONATE

You can also text EMPOWER to 70140 to donate ÂŁ4 which provides two handbooks.

Thirteen-year-old Odupoi dreams of becoming a newscaster and using his voice to share stories all over the world. Heâs able to dream big thanks to his sponsor and the support of his local church-based Compassion project.

As you listen, why not explore Odupoiâs community in the Maasai Mara by scrolling through these beautiful photos.

upoi, dressed in a traditional red Shuka clot

side Odupoiâs home. Homes in his community are traditionally made from mud, twigs, animal dung and gras

upoi herding cattl

e goats after milking standing behind Odupoiâs hous

upoi leaving for school. Education in Kenya is fairly expensive and is a big strain for most families, especially those living below the universal poverty line of $ 1.90 a da

upoi in class. In Kenya the typical school year runs from January to Novembe

ttle play an important role in Maasai life. Oduopi cares for his animals by leading them to the water trough in his villag

Thank you for inspiring and supporting children like Odupoi to dream big.

Each day poverty lies to children, telling them their worthless, they donât matter, and no one hears their voice. Thanks to your support, children not only receive life-changing benefits, they also receive encouragement and life-affirming words that fill them with hope.

You can use your voice and pray into the lives of children today. Join us in lifting their hopes and dreams and all that God has got planned for them.

Compassion International believes that children should be known, loved and protected. We believe the protection of children is central to Godâs heart for them.

As an expression of that belief, Compassion places the love, care and protection of children above all other considerations. Because children living in extreme poverty are among the most vulnerable in the world, Compassion International, its board of directors, global partners and implementing church partners have established clear policies that are designed to promote the safety and protection of every child in our programme.

Key Beliefs:

Compassionâs approach to and philosophy for child protection is based on the following strongly held convictions:

No violence against children is justifiable, and all violence against children is preventable.

Children are valuable to God, are uniquely created individuals and are worthy of dignity and respect.

It is everyoneâs job to protect children.

Everyone involved in the protection of children should always act in the best interests of children and be held accountable if they do not.

Children are both vulnerable and strong. We view children as active contributors to their own protection. Children must be empowered to fully engage in the work of child protection â their own protection and the protection of their peers. At the same time, children must be protected and cared for by the adults in their lives.

Sponsors have a responsibility to protect children.

Government authorities have a role to play in the protection of children from maltreatment, and to respond if children are harmed. Compassion promotes local legal systems and local authorities as the most appropriate legal outlets for redress of criminal cases of child abuse, exploitation and neglect, while also recognising that parents and partners play a critical supportive role in these efforts.

How Compassion Protects Children

Our approach to child protection begins with preventing abuse whenever possible. When a child is abused, we intervene quickly and seek to provide restoration and healing to children impacted by abuse and alerting the relevant local authorities. Finally, Compassion believes in empowering children to be active agents in their own protection and advocacy.

To accomplish these goals, Compassion provides:

Age-appropriate child protection curriculum for all beneficiaries.

Training for caregivers in child protection and abuse prevention.

Training for staff members, leaders and volunteers at the church partner in child protection, safe practices and responding quickly and appropriately to incidents of abuse.

Background checks on anyone coming into contact with children including employees and supporters who visit their sponsored children.

Your Role as a Sponsor in Protecting Children from Abuse

As a sponsor, you are part of Compassionâs movement to release children from poverty in Jesusâ name. You are part of a community of advocates who believe in the example set forth by Jesus.

Jesus demanded that His disciples protect children. In Matthew 18:6, the Bible is unwaveringly clear in Godâs mandate to protect children: âWhoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a huge millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.â God takes the protection of children seriously!

If your child says something in a letter that makes you feel abuse is happening or likely to happen, we encourage you to talk to one of our Supporter Experience teamÂ on 01932 836490 or contact us via email at info@compassionuk.org.

You, your childâs family, our church partners and Compassion staff work together to form a safety net for your sponsored child.

Visiting Your Sponsored Child

We require a background check for everyone 18 and older who interacts with any Compassion-assisted beneficiary, specifically on trips to visit their children. This applies to all visitors universally, including donors, sponsors, artists and speakers â before youâve gone on a trip.

Our child protection policy guides interactions between sponsors and children occurring on our group trips or individual custom visits. Any visitor who will interact with Compassion-assisted children must have approved arrangements through Compassion, country offices and projects will not accept unapproved visitors.

This helps to protect the children in the Compassion projects from potential abuse as well as protect visitors from any wrongful allegations.

All visitors must sign Compassionâs child protection policy and agree to abide by it before a custom visit can be arranged, or when participating in a group trip. Compassion reserves the right to deny a visit request that would not be in the best interest of the child.

Sponsors who meet their sponsored children on a trip or visit are in the unique position of directly communicating with their children. A sponsor will never be left alone with a sponsored child.

In this situation it’s normal to want to share personal contact information, or to request such information from the child or the child’s family. However, any direct communication not facilitated by us could potentially expose the children or sponsors to unnecessary risk. As a result, personal contact information cannot be exchanged.